My belated introduction to Corinna was via her 2018 release ‘Songs for my mother’ which proved to be one of the best releases of that year. The tone was dark, the sound widescreen and the songs dragged you in and held on tight. The other innovation to the Corinna sound finds Francesco Arpino employing a host of vintage synth sounds to bolster his usual piano armoury. The resulting album could well turn out to be one of the most beautiful records of her career.
Hailing from Northamptonshire, England, Corinna Jane is a Franco-English singer-songwriter who was born in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany. She learnt tunes by the ear as a child before any formal music education. A child prodigy whos been writing music from when she was just six years old. She has come to define a unique style of alternative rock with major pop influences.
‘Queen of Wands’ is the latest release by Corinna Jane, a beautiful six track EP. The album starts off with ‘Give me a sign’ that sounds like a alternative rock record. The only giveaway are the vocals that have a heavy pop influence. Give me a sign is a deep track wherein Corinna is asking for a sign but the chorus keeps saying “Life goes on and on”.
The second track of the EP begins with a wonderful piano solo that sets the mood for this lovely track. The track began as a slow dark track and quickly grew into a crescendo of drums, guitars and synths all the while letting Corinna’s voice shine through.
‘Shockwaves’ is a peppy track with exciting piano work that boasts an honest live sound. Her vocals and the whole style of this track is probably the most pop influenced of the album. Her voice modulation is amazing and you see her vocal mastery in this track.
“Think Janis Joplin, Nikki Lamborn and Melissa Etheridge all rolled into one magnificent package, and you are pretty close to Corinna Jane. Her vocals could bring grown men to their knees.”
– Paddy – Only Australian Music – Blog Archives
‘Rainy Day’ is the fourth track of the album. This track is all about the production expertise of Corinna James. She has outdone himself with some amazing percussions that sound exactly like droplets of water. This is a pleasant interlude in this EP with accapella vocals and did I mention the percussions.
‘One Last Serenade’ fades the album out with a purely vocal track. It’s an interesting contrast with the two backup singers, both talented singers in their own right, who each have a very different quality to their voices. Their voices act as the perfect atmosphere for this track. Her tracks all follow the same arrangement style, slowly building up to a peak and then breaking it down with some heartfelt vocals and some brilliant piano work. Then again when you think its over, the actual confluence of all the instruments come together with the vocals to create a very widescreen sound. “Give me one final melody”.
The album ends with a very touching track ‘It was Alright’. Corinna seems to be drowning in memories of some good times with somebody significant. This is the perfect heartbreak track that can make anyone cry. The wonderful violin goes perfectly with Corina’s voice. It sounds like something out of “Sound of Music”, a benchmark for Corinna Jane. No other words but ‘Beautiful Darkness’ can describe this track.
The desire to update her sound while remaining true to their roots seems to be a success. There’s more than enough to keep old fans connected while bringing new listeners on board for the journey. I also have a strong feeling that the songs on ‘Shockwaves’ will have incredible power live when that opportunity presents itself. It looks like Corina had to decide how to move forward and she chose evolution. It was a brave move but it’s looking like the right call. A beautiful album and definitive of Corinna’s style.
You have to listen to Queen of Wands!
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